....and now the garage is being cleared out. The old, dark paneling is gone! I think they had if leftover from the living room and just put it in the garage. Terrible fire hazard.

Old insulation is gone.

Found the spirit of the hounds in the walls!

Painting on the parts that needed it. You can see a hole up there that needs patching. There are a few more around the garage that need attention. You never know what could be there. Which is another reason to redo this now.

I'm glad it's being done. I'm not so wigged out because it doesn't involve my sewing room! I have been sewing for hours every day! Feels great. Half a day on the frame and the other half working on the flower blocks. Just like sewing, you work and work and work, and then it comes together and looks great.

UPS people know us now. Get plenty delivered to go into the house. I'm enjoying things. We picked out royal blue carpeting for the master bed room!!!! I told Terry that I'm making a blue and white quilt for us! So the bedroom is going to match the quilt!!!!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

I just finished this piece and I'm donating it to go into the small quilt sale at our show. The Smoky Mtn Quilt show is May 23, 24, and 25. It's at the Maryville College Athletic Center. Will have over 200 quilts to see!!!

Close up of my quilting...

Here's the other small quilt. My camera didn't like all the details of the fabrics. That's computer board fabric for the boot.

Again, the camera probably needs more charge to keep things in better focus. There will be many small quilts there for sale and a silent auction for a few of them. This raises money to help the guild with next year's show.

Our house is slowly getting better. Terry painted the window sills yesterday with the primer. Now they are white! rest of the insulation went in. Plumbing supplies were delivered, only one thing wrong and another thing missing. (You have to double check everything!) Electrician showed up to see what will have to get done. He'll be here next week. So it's coming together. YEA!!!!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Ok, I was given this panel by a very good friend! So I basted it yesterday (or the day before.). It's a wonderful panel with the true indigo blue dye. My fingers were covered with it! Have to keep the in mind when picking out a thread color! I want to do sashico stitching. Well that is spelled wrong, so I hope you know the large stitching that the Japanese do on their items.

Here's a better shot of the middle. Now you can tell these are royal dragons by how many toes they have. 4 toes going in one direction is for the royals only. Then it goes down for then next lower classes. Very interesting to find the hidden meanings in things!

Next quilt being started is Oopsie Daisy! Very cute. Twin size has 20 blocks with appliqued flowers. So I'm starting on those. Then there are many pieced blocks to fill in. Here's the pattern and the fabrics.

There was no full size picture to follow, so I drew it out. Really helps with the placement of the pieces.

Cut out 20 blocks.

Start with the stems. Sewing is done by hand.

Here's one sewn on....then iron it.

A few have the petals and leaves pinned in place. I'm going to get the stems all done first.

I love starting new things. I have a ton of "in Progress" things. I plan on getting them all done. This one is for a customer. I will do this from start to finish. I know it will get done. So pictures will go up as things progress.

Terry is home. We picked up electrical things today. Next week, the plumbing items will be delivered. So even if there isn't anything actually happening in the house, we have made decisions on what will be going in. Need to get more stuff out of the house too!

I didn't realize that this was Easter Weekend! Lots of candy around in the stores, but when you don't have little kids around, you do loose track of all these holidays! And with a constant weight battle going on, I don't need more candy around than what I already eat.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Here's Mary! She was up here from Florida and came at a great time. The Dogwood things were going on, and the trees were blooming.

We went over to Nellie and Lee's house to see the Elvis things that they have collected! Here's the scooter that Lee has decorated.

Mary fell in love with the cat! But there is so much more around the house and in the guest bedroom....

Ta-Da! The Elvis room is also the guest bedroom.

Lots to look at there.

And their shrine to him.

Here is the Hawaiian Elvis! I love that one!

Lee and Nellie have so much art work in every part of the house and backyard! We sat there and totally enjoyed all of it...well, as much as we could take in!

Mary and I hit so many thrift stores, antique shops, craft places, flea markets, and of course, to Thursday Bee! Creativity was overflowing for me from Tuesday through Saturday! Mary really thinks outside of boxes of stuff! It was a creative shot in the arm for me.

Today I had to replant several plants in to larger pots. I started out with 10 and separated the ones that had multiplied, and I ended up with more than 26! That's when I busted out laughing. I stopped counting. So if anyone needs a house plant or 10... I have them to give away. Very hardy little plants!

So now I'm trying to pick things up and do a few things around the house before Terry comes home.... weeding included. Bleck. But it needs to get done. Another service man coming to check out the garage door opener... he'll be here between 8am and noon. So I can't go anywhere until he shows up and it gone.

Mary and I were driving the dogwood trail through Sequoia Hills. Now that neighborhood is not laid out in an easy to get around set of roads. So we were following the pink lines on the roads, when we saw a BIG dump truck across the way at the stop sign... the driver was walking over. So I said, can I help you? His answer was, "How do I get out of here?!!!" Poor guy was so confused on which way to go! So I pointed to just keep going up the hill. I really don't know the name of the roads in there. I hope he made it out ok.

I got to say, it was so much fun to laugh for days! We also went to see Cirque de Soleil! I had never been. It was pretty cool. And I loved the costumes!!! I can see new designs for my quilted clothing!

Monday, April 7, 2014

And I love it!!! It's baskets of flowers and feather wreaths. All pieced by hand and I quilted it by hand.

Close up shows that each pieced block was all little squares. Every block the same. Amazing!

Feather wreath keeps it more traditional.

Not sure you can see the quilting in the flowers. I did around each flower. There are 3 stems and each flower has a leaf.

Next one in the frame! It's from Hawaii done by a very good friend. Always exciting to start quilting the next one!!!

Construction on the house is coming along. Lots of insulation went in today. I'm putting a "hold" on the work for the rest of the week. A good friend is coming up from Florida. We are planning on seeing lots of the Dogwood festival and Cirque de Soleil! I have never seen them. Mary said she saw them 15 years ago, and let's go! And don't get the cheap seats! So I went to the ticket office today and got seats on the 5th row!!! I'm excited about seeing this.

I'll fit in some quilting, but sometimes you just have to go have fun. Terry wouldn't go to this show, so I love that I'm going with someone who's also excited about it.

Friday, April 4, 2014

It's almost done. Quilting out to the very edges, and will put binding on.

Next one to go in the frame! Love it!

One tub almost out....

And the other is out. Aren't remodels amazing? The rooms can either look really big or really small when the stuff is out. The guys did do a lot today. And only set off one smoke alarm..... Not bad.

I keep quilting in my sewing room. I have given up trying to help them. I hurt my back and I would be so tired every day. I wasn't doing as much as they can. Time to just sit back and let the guys do the work....

It will all be great in the end. If it's not great, then it's not yet the end.

I love movie lines. Remember "Death Becomes Her" with Goldie and Merle? There was the time Merle drinks the potion and the woman who gave it to her says, "and now a warning." Merle says, "NOW a warning?